Michiyuki
by hanyou-samurai
Summary: Yami cuts himself and is suicidal. His girlfriend Kaia tries to save him. but can he return the favor, when holy power is in the hands of the insane? This is their michiyuki. Formerly Cutting His Soul
1. Chapter 1

Look, another fanfiction!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh, but I own Kaia, her grandmother Suzumi, her father, and her mother.

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**Cutting his Soul**

by hanyou-samurai

Chapter 1

Kaia looked at her boyfriend, Yami, staring out the window. His coffee cup was still full, and now stone cold. Kaia sighed, rubbing the handle of her coffee mug slightly. They almost never went on dates anymore. Yami seemed preoccupied all the time. Although it was near the end of the semester for her college boyfriend, and Yami had finals, he was too preoccupied for that. Kaia was in her last year of high school, with Yami in his first year of college.

"Um Yami?" He didn't move, so Kaia assumed he hadn't heard her. "Yami?" He looked at her. "I gotta go. I have a test tomorrow." Yami nodded and stood up as Kaia got her coat on.

"Do you want me to walk you home?"

Kaia shook her head. "I'll be fine. Bye Yami."

"Bye."

She walked out. Yami was surprised. They usually kissed before they left. He sat back down and resumed staring out the window. Finally raising his cup to his mouth, he nearly spit the coffee out. It was cold.

Kaia sighed, harsh wind blowing through her thick coat. Japanese winters were harsher than American ones. Kaia was so glad she was back in Japan. About ten minutes later, Kaia was climbing the steps to her house, which also happened to be a temple.

"Kaia, you're late!" called her father. He was fifty-five, old for a father of a seventeen year old. Her grandmother, seventy-six years old, was a priestess, training Kaia. Kaia wasn't planning on devoting her entire life to being a priestess. That would mean no marriage, and no dating, and Kaia would not break up with Yami. Although her grandmother had disregarded that rule.

"Sorry dad," called Kaia, running up to her room. She quickly changed into her red and white priestess outfit, running back outside. It was festival season, and many people in kimonos were coming. Their temple was very popular with the young men, as there was a beautiful priestess there.

Once they closed for the day, at about five, Kaia checked her messages on her cell phone. Yami hadn't called. She sighed, putting her cell phone back on her bedside table. She lay on her bed, not bothering to change out of her priestess outfit. It was winter, and this winter outfit was warm. A knock came on her door.

"Who is it?" she called drowsily.

"It's Yami."

"Yami!" Kaia jumped up, immediately awake. She opened the door. Yami was standing there, jacket on. "Do you want to come in?" Yami shook his head.

"Do you want to go on a date now?"

Kaia nodded. "Let me change first." As she was changing, an uneasy feeling boiled in her stomach. He hadn't been smiling. He always used to smile when he asked her on a date. Something was wrong, and Kaia knew it. She finished changing, got her coat, and opened her door. Yami was still waiting there. They got their shoes and left her house. They entered the park near her house, and sat down on a bench. Yami stared at the bare trees, while Kaia looked at her hands. She spoke first. "Yami, what's going on?"

Yami looked at Kaia, his crimson eyes looking deep into her aquamarine eyes. "Kaia… I'm breaking up with you." Her eyes widened, and Yami felt his heart wrench as he saw the betrayal and sorrow in her expressive eyes.

"Why? What did I do?"

"Nothing." Yami stood up and began to walk away. "I'm sorry," he whispered before he walked out of sight. Tears filled Kaia's eyes, and she began to cry quietly into her hands. Behind a tree Yami had his hands over his eyes, holding back tears. A few seconds later, he broke into a run, hot tears running down his face.

Kaia stood up, still crying, and ran home. She didn't take her shoes off, she just ran up to her room. Her mother stood outside her door, trying to find out what had happened. Kaia ignored her and continued to cry. Eventually her mother gave up. Kaia crawled under her covers, and fell asleep, exhausted.

Before he opened the door to the Mutou's house, where he lived with Yugi and Yugi's grandfather, Yami wiped the tears from his face, and straightened his clothes. He opened the door, took his shoes off, and quickly walked up to his room. As he was entering it, Yugi came out of his own room. "Yami? Can you help me with my homework now?"

"Not tonight," said Yami was he closed his door. His voice sounded like he had been crying.

"Yami?" Yugi knocked on his door. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Just… please go away."

"Okay." Yugi went back to his own room, wondering what had happened between Yami and Kaia. Curious, he decided to do some research of his own. Picking up his phone, he dialed Jounichi. "Hey, Jou, do you have any idea what's wrong with Yami?"

"Nope. Sorry Yugi. He's seemed sad lately, but he's usually emo, so it wasn't that noticeable."

"Okay, thanks." Yugi dialed the Kaiba's.

"Hey Mokuba. Have you noticed anything… different about Yami?"

"Sorry Yugi. I haven't. Did something happen? Let me ask Seto." Yugi heard talking in the background. "He hasn't noticed anything either, except that Yami's spent a lot of time on his laptop at school. Sorry I couldn't help more."

"It's okay. Bye Mokuba."

"Bye."

Yugi furrowed his brow in thought. He doubted that Anzu would know anything. Anzu and Yami weren't that good of friends. He dialed the last number on his list: Otogi Ryuuji. "Hey, Ryuuji, have you noticed anything different about Yami lately?"

"Nah, sorry. Maybe he just lost a duel or something."

"Yami? Yeah, right. If he had lost, it would have been a huge, public duel. Notice, I said if."

"Well, then I have no clue. Just, wait a few days, then ask him."

"Okay, thanks Ryuuji. I'll see you later."

"Okay, bye." Yugi hung up the phone and began to work on his math homework again. Out of everybody's advice, Ryuuji's was the best.

The next morning, Yugi ran out of his room three minutes before he and Yami were supposed to leave, and began to pound on Yami's door. "We gotta go Yami!"

"I'm not going to school today."

"Yami, come on!"

"Go on without me hikari."

Yugi opened Yami's door. Yami was wearing black pajama pants with no shirt, a blanket half covering him. A pillow was under his head, and he was holding another pillow in his arms. He was staring at a framed picture of him and Kaia. He had his arms around her, and he was kissing her on the cheek. She was smiling and laughing. Yami's already crimson eyes were red from crying all night.

"Yami, what's wrong?" asked Yugi concerned, coming over to stand by his bed.

Yami closed his eyes. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Yami, you've been crying all night. I heard you. What's wrong? Did something happen between you and Kaia?" Yami sighed again.

"Yugi, can we talk about this when we get home? You're going to be late." Yugi nodded.

"Sure. But you better talk to me when I get home." Yami nodded. Yugi gave a little wave and left, closing the door behind him, leaving Yami in the dark. A sob escaped Yami, and hot tears leaked out from behind his eyelids. In the faint light, Yami saw the scars on his arms that Yugi had missed. He was lucky that their school uniform had long sleeved shirts. In the summer, they were allowed to push them up, but Yami kept them down. He didn't want anybody to see his scars. He didn't want anybody to touch his scars. Not the ones on his arms. The ones on his soul. His black, warped soul.

"Kaia, it's time to go to school," called Kaia's mom through her door.

"I'm not going today."

"But don't you want to walk to school with Yami?"

Her mother didn't hear the smothered sob that escaped her. "I'm not going today!"

"Alright, it's your choice, since something is obviously wrong." Kaia's mom left. Kaia was staring at a picture of her and Yami. He had his arms around her, and she was giving him a kiss on the cheek. Kaia closed her eyes, and began to sob. Her door opened, and in walked her grandmother, wearing the priestess outfit she wore everyday. Her grandmother, Suzumi, sat on her bed, and gently stroked her hair.

"Kaia, what's wrong?"

"Yami… Yami broke up with me!" sobbed Kaia, sitting up. Her grandmother hugged her.

"Why?"

"I don't know! All he said was that he was breaking up with me and that he was sorry. Why grandma? Why? What did I do?"

"Oh, little priestess. I don't think you did anything. Have you been fighting?"

Kaia shook her head. "No. But lately he's seemed preoccupied. On our dates, and even when we're talking, he seems like he'd rather be somewhere else."

"Does he act this way with other people?"

Kaia shrugged. "Kind of. He's more out of it with me than anybody else."

"Little miko, I did not want to tell you this. I hoped that you could help him, but he was too far gone."

Kaia looked up at her grandmother. "Grandma? What are you talking about?"

Suzumi sighed. "Your miko powers aren't developed enough to sense darkness."

"Darkness?"

"Yes. In a persons heart. I can sense if somebody is more evil than usual, of course, as can you. We can help get rid of the excess evil though."

"Back to the darkness."

Suzumi allowed herself a brief smile. "Alright, koneko. You know that Yami means darkness, correct?" Kaia nodded. "That is his name because he is the spirit of the millennium puzzle, and he does not know his true name. That does not mean that he would have darkness in his soul. But Yami does. It has grown bad recently. I… fear that we will soon need another spirit of the puzzle."

"What do you mean?" gasped Kaia. Deep in her heart, she knew that was Suzumi was telling her was true, but Kaia did not realize it yet.

"When was the last time you saw the pharaoh's arms?"

"His arms?" Kaia thought about it for a few seconds. "A year, a year and a half."

"Why do you suppose that is? I know he always refuses to go swimming, or wear short-sleeved shirts. When he does wear short sleeves, he wears those things around his arms." Kaia nodded. He had straps that crisscrossed up and down his arms, from his shoulders to his wrists. "Why do you suppose that is? Why do you suppose he's become darker recently? Why do you suppose he broke up with you?"

Kaia gasped, and looked at her grandmother in horror, finally realizing what she was hinting at. Yami was cutting himself, and he was going to kill himself. That was why he had broken up with her. If she was sad and mad at him, she wouldn't miss him as much. Kaia jumped up. "I have to go see him!" she said. Suzumi nodded.

"Yes you do. But remember ko. He is very fragile. If you touch him, I fear he might break. I don't think he wants anybody to touch his scars." Kaia nodded than ran out of her room. Suzumi watched her granddaughter run out with pride. "Go with the gods, little miko." She stood up. "I think I will go pray."

Kaia ran barefoot through the streets, shivering. She was wearing a short-sleeved shirt, and pajama pants. It had begun to snow, and she was quickly soaked. Shivering, she ran through the streets to Yami's house, making a trip that usually lasted twenty minutes in seven minutes. She was shivering violently as she knocked on the front door. Nobody answered, and Kaia saw the sign on the game shop door. It read, _Be back by 11:30._

Kaia took the hidden key from its spot and quickly unlocked the door. She locked the door after her and ran up to Yami's room. The door was closed. She pounded on it.

"Sugoroku-kun, I told you, I'm not going to school today."

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Dun-dun-dun it's Kaia. Bad place to stop, but I originally had it as a oneshot, and the rest isn't done yet. Review!


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2! I changed the title from 'Cutting his Soul' to 'Michiyuki.' That gets explained, not in the next chapter, but in the one after that, which will be the last one. **

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**Michiyuki**

**hanyou-samurai **

Chapter 2**  
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"It's me."

"Kaia?" Why was she here? She was supposed to be at home, or at school, hating him for breaking up with her and hurting her. Forgetting he was bleeding, and he had a knife in his hand, he stood up, and opened his door. Outside stood a wet, shivering, crying girl. "Kaia, what happened to you?"

"Yami…" Kaia broke off. She was crying too hard. Blood dripped down Yami's arm to his hand. Kaia saw this, and the knife, and began crying harder. "Yami…" Yami gently took her wrist in the hand that didn't have blood on it and drew her into his room. He closed the door, and gently pushed her onto his bed. He wrapped a blanket around the shivering girl, then knelt on the bed in front of her.

"Kaia, what's wrong? What happened?"

She looked into his crimson eyes, noting that they were red from crying. "You did."

"What?"

"Yami, when I met you… I was shy. So were you. When we finally started going out… I was happier than I'd ever been. Lately, you've been so preoccupied. Now I see why."

"What?" Yami was confused. She was jumping around.

She closed her eyes. "When did you become suicidal? Why didn't I see? Why didn't I notice you were cutting yourself? This is all my fault!" She lowered her head. Yami moved forward, and wrapped his arms around her. She buried her head in his chest. Blood dripped on the blanket, but Yami didn't care.

"This is not your fault Kaia."

"Yes it is. I should have noticed! I'm a priestess! Why didn't I notice anything!?"

Yami put his hands on her cheeks and raised her head until she was looking him in the eyes. "This is not your fault. This is mine. My soul is dark and warped. There was nothing you could have done to do that, or to save me. Many have tried. All have failed. I thought you might be the one to save me." Yami shrugged. "I guess I was wrong." That was possibly the most hurtful thing he could have said to her. He figured if she was hurt, she wouldn't miss him. If she was meant to save him, she would. If she wasn't meant to, he would finally leave this world.

Kaia raised her hand and slapped him. Red cheek stinging, he looked at her, confused. She was glaring at him, tears still in her eyes. "You stupid, stupid person!" she yelled. "If so many people have tried to save you, how come you didn't let any? Did you think if you broke up with me I'd be so mad at you that I wouldn't miss you when you killed yourself?" Yami winced. She had gotten it right. "That's what I thought!" She had gotten up and was pacing. She whirled to face him. The tears in her eyes were gone, but betrayal and sadness were still there. Yami also found strength. He hadn't expected her to have this much inner strength. Most girls would still be crying. And she was… yelling at him. "Yami, you are so stupid!"

"Why?"

"Why? Because!"

"That's not a good reason," he said, trying to sound unfeeling and uncaring.

She glared at him. "Do not even try to pretend that you don't care Yami, because I know that you do. All that time together, all the little gifts, the small kisses, and you say that you don't care. In addition to being stupid, you're a liar. I chose a great man!"

"Why would you care if I was gone?" he asked.

"Because I love you!" she burst out. He looked surprised, and she looked defiant. They had never told each other that they loved each other. Saying that would just make it more difficult if they broke up later, and neither wanted to proclaim their love for someone if they ended up not loving each other.

"What?"

"You heard me. I've loved you for a long time. You think you're the only one hurting? All those times we were on dates, and you ignored me, do you think I was fine with it? I was crying inside! When you cut yourself, you not only add more scars to your arms and your heart, you add scars to my heart! When you hurt, I hurt!"

Yami stood up and strode across the room. He caught Kaia and pressed his lips forcefully onto hers. Not waiting for permission, he shoved his tongue into her mouth. She was shocked. He had never been this… animal like. Their kisses had always been, small, short, and sweet. This… he was like a predator that had been watching his prey for far too long. When he finally broke the kiss, they were both panting. He hugged her, and let his chin rest on her head.

"Ra, Amaterasu, and any other gods that are listening, I am an idiot," he said, relief in his voice.

"What are you talking about?" asked Kaia.

"I've been waiting for you. I thought you didn't love me. I thought you were just with me for fun. I was so depressed and dark… that's when I started cutting. Then I figured if nobody cared about me, why was I alive. I thought… I thought nobody cared. You saved my life. And then… gods Kaia. I love you!"

Unbeknownst to them, Yugi heard and saw everything from the kiss. Yugi chose that moment to walk in. "Yami, how come you didn't talk to us about this?" They both jumped, but neither broke apart.

"I thought you guys only liked me because I'm the spirit of the millennium puzzle." Yugi nodded.

"I'll leave you two alone then." And he walked out, closing the door. They heard him leave the house. Yami's arms tightened around her.

"Yami, will you stop cutting yourself now?"

"Yeah. Now I know somebody cares."

"Do you promise?"

Yami was suddenly reminded of another time she had asked that. She had been in a car accident with her cousin. Her cousin had died, but she had lived. Yami stayed with her the entire time she was in the hospital. She'd had horrific nightmares the entire time, and somebody had to stay with her during the night. One night, before she went to sleep, she clutched his hand and asked him if he would say. He said yes, and she had said, "Do you promise?" Without hesitating, he replied, "I promise."

Yami smiled. "I promise." Kaia smiled too.

"Good."

Yami leaned down for another kiss. This one she met. Once they parted, Yami unwrapped his arms from around her, and, taking her hand, led the cold girl to his bathroom. "Take a bath." She blushed slightly. Yami realized what she was thinking.

"I'm not going to look."

"You'd better not."

"When you're done, you can wear some of my clothes, and I'll dry yours." She nodded, and he got her some towels. "Take your time." She nodded, then closed the door.

Running the hot bath water, she thought about everything that had happened in the past 24 hours. She spent about twenty minutes in the hot bath, raising her body temperature back to normal, and relaxing. When she got out, she dried herself off then wrapped a fluffy white towel around herself. Stepping out of the bathroom, she found Yami dressed and sitting on his now made bed.

"Um, can I have clothes?" she asked, wet hair dripping down her back. Yami sat bolt upright, then blushed furiously as he saw her.

"Yeah." He grabbed a pile of clothes, and handed them to her.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome." She walked back into the bathroom, a few minutes later, she emerged from the bathroom, hair damp, and dressed in Yami's clothes. As soon as he saw her, he burst out laughing. She glared at him playfully.

"Stop laughing." She was wearing a very baggy sweater, and very baggy jeans. She'd had to roll the jeans and the sweater arms several times. The sweater was halfway to her knees.

"Maybe we should have borrowed Yugi's clothes." Kaia shook her head, coming to sit by him.

"Yugi's clothes don't smell like you."

"My clothes smell like me?" he asked. She nodded. "What do I smell like?"

"It's… hard to describe. You smell… like how I suppose an Egyptian marketplace would smell."

"I smell like garbage?"

"A nice Egyptian marketplace. You smell like exotic spices, rare flowers, with a tiny hint of dust." She snuggled closer to him. "I love your smell."

Yami placed his arm around his love. "I love you Kaia."

"I love you too Yami."

With those five words, Yami made a life changing decision. Of course, he had prepared for this decision when he met Kaia, but he decided to make it now." Yami stood up and walked to his desk. Out of it, he took a small black box. He walked back to her and sat back down.

"Kaia, I wasn't planning on doing this for a while, if at all. But with everything that's happened in the past day, I realize that if I don't do this now, someone might steal you away from me." He opened the box. Inside was a silver ring, with a blue-white diamond. "Kaia, my tenshi, will you marry me?" Her hand flew to her mouth. She stared at the ring, then into Yami's loving eyes. Her hand lowered.

"Yes. Oh Yami, yes!" He grinned, and put the ring on her finger. All of their friends walked in just in time to see Kaia tackle Yami onto the bed. Her hands twined in his hair while his circled around her back, holding her to him. They began to kiss. Kaiba walked in last.

"Could you guys at least wait until we were gone?" he asked, smirking. Yami sat bolt upright, losing his grip on Kaia, and she toppled to the floor. Sitting up, she rubbed her head.

"Ow." Yami picked her up from the ground and set her on his lap.

"Why are you guys here? Isn't school still in session?"

"It's a half day you ditchers."

Kaia's eyes widened. "Oh no, the festival!" In her hurry to get to Yami's phone, she fell onto the ground again. "Ow." She reached up, got the phone, and dialed her number. Still on the floor, she began to talk. "Yeah, I know. Sorry dad. I'll come home with my friends, okay? I'm not working today, remember? Grandma said I could have today off. I know I need to change. Can I talk to grandma?" Kaia waited for a few seconds. "Grandma!" She glanced at Yami. "It's fine. The little miko did it. Okay, I'll see you soon. Thank you. I love you." Kaia hung up the phone, and stood up. "We gotta go to the festival, remember!"

"Yeah, that's why we came to get you. We're going to meet in the park by your house," said Anzu. Kaia and Yami nodded.

"Hey, Kaia, why are you wearing Yami's clothes?" asked Yugi. Yami and Kaia exchanged glances.

"Long story."

"Come on, let's go," said Mokuba. They all left to get their kimonos on. Yugi went back to his room. Yami got Kaia's clothes, and she waited while he changed into his kimono. They walked back to her house, hand in hand. When they got there, her father was there to meet them.

"Kaia! What are you wearing?" he asked sharply. Yami removed his sandals, Kaia, a pair of Yami's sneakers.

"Um…" she looked at Yami. "You explain while I change, okay?" he nodded, and they followed her father inside. Her father and Yami sat at the table, looking at each other.

"What's going on?" asked her father. Yami sighed.

"I broke up with her for a stupid reason. She ran over to my house while it was snowing, wearing no coat, and she got soaked." It had stopped snowing, and the tiny layer of snow had melted. "We worked things out, and she took a bath. I dried her clothes, and let her borrow mine. I also…" Yami paused. This was awkward.

"You also what?" prompted her father.

"I asked for your daughters hand in marriage."

"You what!" yelled her father, standing up.

"I asked your daughter to marry me."

"She's still in high school! That's illegal! And you're too old for her!"

"I didn't mean right away. I am eighteen, she is seventeen. It's a one-year difference. She'll be eighteen in June, and she'll graduate high school later that month. I was thinking of waiting till the March after that, when the cherry trees are blooming."

"Did she say yes?"

"Yes."

Up in her room, the girl in question was changing into her kimono. Most female kimonos had flowers on them, and most male kimonos were plain. Kaia had several kimonos. The one she's chosen to wear was a deep blue with golden phoenixes. She and Yami were having a fresh start, just like the phoenix. Yami's kimono was black, with blue and gold dragons on it. Her grandmother walked in just in time to help her tie her obi.

"I'm glad you sorted things out with that young man."

"Grandma, he asked me to marry him."

Her grandmother didn't pause in tying her obi. "And?"

"I said yes."

"Oh, little miko, I am so happy for you." Kaia smiled.

"Thank you grandma."

When her grandmother was finished, Kaia got her socks on and carried her wooden sandals downstairs. Her father was glaring at her fiancé.

"Dad, we're leaving."

"Kaia, you are not going anywhere with that man."

Kaia glared at her father. Suddenly, he froze. Kaia heard chanting, and found her grandmother. "Don't worry. I'll make him see sense. Go have fun." Kaia and Yami nodded and thanked her, then quickly left.

"You look beautiful tenshi," said Yami at they walked to the park, and in hand. They were getting many glances from both guys and girls. She blushed.

"Thank you akuma." He raised his eyebrow at her word choice. Kaia giggled, then explained. "If I am an angel, then you must be a devil, come to tempt me off the path of righteousness." Yami grinned, and pulled her collar down, and kissed her neck. He gave her a small hickey.

"The devil has left his mark, tenshi. You can never return to rakuen and leave the poor devil."

She laughed. "Maybe the angel doesn't want to return to heaven and leave her beloved devil." He laughed, and they entered the park to find their friends waiting. They were met with grins from all their friends, except from Shizuka, Jounouchi's twin sister. She glared at Kaia. She tried to hide it, but everybody knew that she had a crush on Yami. And seeing them walk up, hand-in-hand, smiling and laughing, made her very jealous indeed.

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**I fixed this chapter a bit. I tend to stop them in weird places, so hopefully the ending of this wasn't in such a weird place. Review! **


	3. Chapter 3

**This chapters a bit shorter than the last one. Originally, both this chapter and chapter 2 were longer, but I got a bit lazy. Anyway, enjoy! **

**Disclaimer: I own Kaia, Suzumi, and Suichi. I own nothing besides that!  
**

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**Michiyuki**

**hanyou-samurai**

Chapter 3

"Hey you guys," said Yami, smiling at his kimono-clad friends. Yugi grinned at him.

"Everything cool?" asked the hikari. Yami nodded.

"Yeah."

Ryou suddenly spoke up, Bakura casting flirtatious glances at a girl across the park. She blushed and hurried off, and, frowning, Bakura turned his attention back to the conversation. "Kaia, is that a new ring?" Out of all of them, Ryou was the most perceptive. Kaia blushed and nodded, holding her hand up to show them. Kaiba took her hand, examining her ring.

"That's a nice ring. Who gave it to you?" Kaia and Yami exchanged glances. Her look told him she was about to tell some totally false story to Kaiba.

"But Seto! Don't you remember? I seduced you, got you drunk, then you gave this ring to me!" She pretended to be highly offended. "I am hurt that you don't remember! I suppose I'll have to go back to my old boyfriend." They all laughed, and Seto rolled his eyes.

"Like I would get a straight answer from you." Kaia grinned.

"I gave it to her." They looked at Yami.

Anzu looked closer. "That's an engagement ring!" Everybody's eyes widened.

"I can't believe it."

"Did you say yes?"

"Can I have the ring?" Everybody reached over and smacked Bakura. "Ow! I was just wondering!"

"She obviously said yes if she's wearing the ring," said Yugi, grinning from ear to ear. Shizuka glared at Kaia, then turned on her heel and ran off.

"What was that about?" asked Yami.

Jounouchi shook his head. "She has a crush on you. Didn't you know?" Yami shook his head.

"Come on, let's go to the temple. She'll probably be there," suggested Kaia. They nodded, and began to walk to the temple. Kaia paused. Her tabi sock had almost come off. "Go on Yami, I'll catch up." He nodded and walked on. As Kaia stood up, somebody grabbed her hair and pulled her behind a tree. Kaia couldn't see who it was, but she fought anyway. But her attacker had the upper hand.

The sound of scissors could suddenly be heard, and then, her attacker left. Kaia whirled around just in time to see the end of a pink kimono flash away. _Shizuka,_ thought Kaia. Then she looked on the ground. Long black hairs littered the stone. Hesitantly, Kaia brought a hand to her head. She couldn't feel her hair where it was supposed to be! She traveled farther up. Her hair had been jaggedly cut to just above her shoulder. Her stomach seemed hollow. She loved her long hair, and she knew Yami loved running his fingers through it. She ran to where he was and latched onto his arm, not looking at him.

"Kaia, what's wrong?" Then he saw her hair. He gasped, and, sounding furious, asked, "Who did this to you?"

Kaia looked up at him and shook her head. "I don't know." Anzu saw what was going on, and she yelled Kaia's name before running to them. The rest of their friends followed.

"Kaia, let me fix it!" said Anzu, drawing a pair of scissors from her bag. But Kaia knew Anzu hadn't cut her hair. Anzu's kimono was a dark, reddish brown. Anzu and Kaia sat down on a bench as Anzu fixed her crooked hair. When she was done, Kaia looked into the mirror Anzu was holding. She looked good, but she wanted her long hair back.

"Thanks," she said, sad, hesitantly feeling her hair.

"I like it," said Yami, obviously trying to get her to feel better.

Kaia smiled. "Thank you Yami." Shizuka suddenly ran up. When she saw Kaia, she smirked, then pretended to be concerned.

"Why Kaia! What happened to your hair?"

Yami saw how Kaia was glaring at Shizuka. He put two and two together. "Shizuka, would you empty out your bag, please?" he asked in his deep voice, eyes expressionless… for the moment.

Fear flashed across Shizuka's face for a moment. "Yami! You can't look in a girl's bag! That's just… scandalous!"

"A boy can't. How about a girl?" asked Anzu, realizing that something was wrong with Shizuka. Anzu grabbed Shizuka's bag, and emptied it out on a bench. Inside were: a pen, a pad of paper, a cell phone, and a pair of scissors. A piece of long black hair was stuck on the scissors. Shizuka glared as Anzu held them up.

"Shizuka, why would you do this?" asked her older brother.

Shizuka glared defiantly at them. "Because she stole Yami away from me!" They looked confused, so she explained. "After my eye surgery, Yami was released from the puzzle, and I was working on becoming his girlfriend. Then this girl moves in, and immediately he latches onto her like a puppy, and they're always together! I didn't even have a chance! And it's not fair that you keep him all to yourself!"

"Shizuka, I can't keep him to myself. I don't own Yami. I spend time with him because I love him. He spends time with me because he loves me."

"I love him to!" she shouted, crying.

"No, you don't," said Kaia, shaking her head. "This isn't love. This is… infatuation."

"No it's not! I love him!"

"Really? What's his favorite movie? Favorite color?"

"I don't know, but just because **you** know those things doesn't mean that you love him!"

"What does he smell like to you?"

Shizuka's brow furrowed. "I haven't spent enough time with him to know what he smells like!"

"Even if you had, you wouldn't be able to describe it, would you?"

Shizuka marched up to Yami and smelled him, before stepping back to where she was." "He smells like soap."

Kaia shook her head, smiling slightly. "To you, perhaps. Everybody here could agree that he smells like soap. But to me, he smells different. He smells like an Egyptian marketplace. He smells like exotic flowers and spices, with just a tiny hint of dust. And that, Shizuka, is something that you will never see. Er, smell."

Shizuka burst into tears, and ran away, yelling, "I'm going home!"

Kaia sighed. "It had to be done."

Yami took her hand. "I know. Let's go to the temple now." The group followed the couple up the steps of the temple they went to every year (not Kaia's) and under the torii. As soon as they passed the torii, Kaia could feel the magical energy humming everywhere. She smiled. She loved that feeling.

They made their way into the temple, after washing their fingertips and rinsing their mouths. They got fortunes, and went to the little wishing well thing. The group left Kaia and Yami alone. They both dug out a coin. Yami went first. He dropped his coin in, made a wish, then rang the bell. Kaia grinned and did the same.

"What did you wish for?" asked Kaia.

"I wished for our marriage to be happy and healthy."

Kaia smiled. "I wished for Shizuka to be able to get past her jealousy and become friends with us again."

Yami pulled her into the shadow of a large tree and kissed her. "You wished for someone besides yourself."

"Yeah, so?"

"It's just so… generous." Yami grinned. "Ra, Kaia, I love you."

Kaia hugged him. "I love you too."

"Come on, let's go write our wishes and hang them on the tree," said Yami excitedly, pulling her to go buy a wooden tablet. This was his favorite part of New Years. Kaia smiled as they bought their tablets. Yami tapped his pen against his chin, thinking, while Kaia scribbled furiously. Finally, Yami wrote, then they tied their wishes to a tree.

"What did you write?" asked Kaia.

"I wished for my parents to give us their blessing. What did you wish for?" Not waiting for her to answer, he read the tablet. "You know, I doubt your wish will be granted if the gods can't read it."

"Ha ha. I wished for my father to come around, and for my parents blessing." Yami grinned at her, and she grinned back.

"We are too much alike."

"Yes, it's a bit creepy, isn't it?" They found the rest of their group, then headed to Kaia's temple for tea, like they always did.

As they entered the temple, Kaia immediately felt that something was wrong. She could barely sense her grandmothers' magical energy.

"Something's wrong." Her friends nodded. They felt it too. Lying in front of her house was a figure. Kaia ran to it, to find her blood covered grandmother. Kaia held her, and tore strips from her kimono, binding the cuts. "Who did this to you?"

Suzumi grabbed her wrist. "Run, little miko. Run. Away from here. Your mother has left, and sanity has left Suichi. Go!" Suzumi passed out from blood loss. Her friends tried to run to her, but they ran into a barrier. Kaia's head snapped up, and she saw her father chanting. He smirked down at her.

"Suzumi will live. But your little friends will have to play with my charms. My wife has left me. Nobody is taking you away from me!" Using her miko powers, Kaia healed her grandmother's wounds. Not all the way, she didn't know enough for that, but so they stopped bleeding. Standing up slowly, she took a few steps towards her father.

"Dad… what's going one? Why did mom leave?"

"She says I'm 'mentally instable,'" mocked Suichi.

Kaia gestured wildly to the barrier. All of her friends were now unconscious, except for Yami and Bakura. Having been trapped inside magical items for several thousands of years, they knew how to withstand the magical energy that was attacking them. Bakura was slashing the barrier with his knifes, and Yami was merely ramming his shoulder into it.

"This is mentally instable dad! Why are you doing this?" Suichi walked forward and grabbed her arm in a painful, vice-like grip.

"Because you're mine. The spirit will never take you away. He doesn't even belong in this time!"

"I love him!" Kaia cried." Suichi hit her, and dragged her inside the house. She fought against him, screaming for Yami.

"Yami! Yami!"

Yami stopped ramming into the barrier and just stood there, eyes wide, as she was dragged into the house.

"Pharaoh, don't just stand there, do something!" the tomb thief growled, tossing him one of his knives. Yami caught it, the gold glinting dully in the winter sunlight. Bakura tore off his kimono that Ryou had forced him to wear. Underneath he was wearing black pants and a black sleeveless shirt.

"Aren't you cold?" asked Yami, raising an eyebrow.

Bakura nodded, shivering slightly. "I hate this place. I greatly prefer Egypt." Both men could feel the barrier beginning to break. It was almost weak enough… almost…

"Go!" shouted Bakura. Both concentrated hard on the barrier. It shattered like glass, and both ran in. Bakura was stopped almost immediately. His mentality was too unstable to continue with the strong, holy magic that permeated the very air.

Yami continued on alone.

Suichi came running out of the house, and Yami quickly hid behind a tree, clutching the knife. Could he kill Suichi? Could he kill Kaia's father? What if he didn't get to Kaia in time? What if she died?

'What if' questions filled his mind, throwing him into chaos. He took several deep breaths, willing the panic away. He couldn't concentrate.

Slowly, ever so slowly, he lowered the knife to his skin. One cut, and blood blossomed, pouring onto the ground. Another, and another.

He was breaking his promise to her… and it shredded his soul.

Tears fell from his eyes as fast and as quick as blood fell from his arms.

"Come out, spirit. You don't belong here. Let me send you back to where you belong." Yami steeled himself and stepped out from behind the tree, fully intending to throw the knife into Suichi's chest. But the spell hit him before he could even raise his arm.

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**Review, please. **

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	4. Chapter 4

**I finally finished this story!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except for Kaia, Suzumi, and their family.**

**This chapter is dedicated to Tolea-String-PurpleChoco-Mage. She helped me get through this last stretch! Thank you so much!**

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**Michiyuki**

**by hanyou-samurai**

**Chapter 4 **

Yami blinked, the bright light making his eyes stream with tears. He blinked again, wiping his eyes. His vision slowly cleared.

Gold glinted everywhere. On the floor, the walls, the ceiling, the people. And then he recognized where he was. He was in his throne room, back in ancient Egypt. Looking around, delighted, Yami noticed that no one was looking at the strangely dressed man who had suddenly appeared. Yami furrowed his brow, and looked around. He froze.

There, on the throne, was himself.

Not how he looked now, of course. The ancient Yami was dressed as an Egyptian, gold glinting everywhere. And his skin was much darker, a sign of living in the ever present sun.

"Next, your highness. This boy was accused of stealing. Will he be allowed to plea his case?" The pharaoh shook his head, and Yami was outraged. The thief was a scrawny, little boy, not even ten.

"Please, your highness! My little sister needs to eat-"

"Silence in the presence of your king!" The guard who was holding the little boy hit him viciously over the head, metal gauntlets cutting the skin. Yami winced as blood poured onto the golden floor, but the little boy made no more noise.

"The punishment, your highness?" The man with the scroll asked. The ancient Yami looked bored.

"Cut off one hand and all the fingers on the other. He will not steal again." Yami's eyes widened, horrified, as the little boy was dragged off, screaming. Had he really done that?

Each person, each crime, each request. Yami was filled with more and more self-loathing. The pharaoh Yami was harsher and harsher each time, even going so far as to order a man whipped when he asked the pharaoh to settle a disagreement.

Yami walked right up the pharaoh, where the people accused of crimes, and with requests had stood. The pharaoh's eyes widened, and he stood slowly.

"What-"

"How could you? All of those innocent people!" Yami spat. The pharaoh could obviously see him, and he was going to use that to his advantage.

"Who-"

"You, from thousands of years into the future."

"How-"

"Holy magic. If you do not stop this cruelness, I will curse you into oblivion, and you will never become a god!" Yami couldn't do that. But that didn't mean his previous self wouldn't believe him. The pharaoh swallowed hard, then nodded. Yami nodded as well.

"Good. Now re-judge all of those you judged today." The pharaoh nodded once again. Before Yami could speak again, he vanished. The pharaoh looked around wildly.

"Your highness?"

"No… it's nothing." The pharaoh sat slowly. "Forget all of my judging's for today, and bring them in once again. I want to judge them again."

"Of… of course your highness!"

Yami knelt on the ground, panting heavily. Suichi stood in front of him, laughing manically. Yami glared at him, and flung the knife. It slammed into Suichi's stomach, and he dropped like a stone.

Yami jumped up, and ran into the house. He searched all of the rooms he'd been in. He couldn't find her anywhere! And then he came to the last door. It was dark, but he saw a faint light flicker under it. He was standing on a raised wooden deck, and underneath that was a courtyard with a small pond and rivers of water all through it.

Kaia was sitting on a raised wooden dais, a katana in her lap, and one on a stand in front of her. In a candleholder hanging from a ceiling, a lone candle flickered. Yami started forward.

"Kaia-" She looked at him and he gasped. Her eyes were completely blank. He noticed her kimono had been changed as well. It was pitch black, with blood red cherry blossoms occasionally. Underneath the black kimono was a pure white one. The kind you wore when committing seppuku.

Still looking blankly at him, she unsheathed the katana, and held it to her neck. Yami strode forward, and grabbed it, blade cutting into his hand.

"Is this what you want?" he asked quietly. "You told me to stop hurting myself. Are you doing it for me now?" She stopped trying to dig the katana into his hand, so he took his hand away. Without warning, she slashed at him.

Yami cried out as blood poured from a long diagonal slice across the length of his torso. He walked backward, hitting the railing around the wooden deck. She stood, and tried to hit him again. He ducked the swing and grabbed the smaller katana from the small room she had been in. She followed him, and he blocked her hit with the still sheathed sword. Ducking out again, he used his free hand to vault over the railing into the courtyard, torso screaming in pain. He landed with a splash in the water, getting soaked up to his knees. He immediately began to shiver.

Kaia followed him. She merely jumped over, and landed lightly on the ground. Her feet were soaked, but that was it. She ran forward, trying to kill him. Yami unsheathed his sword, throwing the sheath out of the way.

He ducked and weaved, blocking when he could not avoid, never attacking back.

Suichi staggered into view, clutching the knife wound. He laughed manically. "Kill him, Kaia! Kill the pharaoh!" Yami couldn't even spare a glance for him. He continued to avoid her sword strokes.

Suichi walked right up behind her, egging her on. She turned and thrust the sword straight into his stomach. He dropped without a sound, already dead. Yami was stunned, eyes wide. Was the spell on her broken? She turned back to him. Her eyes were still blank, her soul still gone. Yami couldn't block the next sword stroke. It swept through his bones as if they were air, to plunge into his heart. He dropped like a stone. Through rapidly darkening sight, he watched her as she regarded him curiously, like a small child. And then his eyes closed, and he was still.

Yami woke gasping. He was curled on the ground, soaked in water. Kaia was standing over him, tendrils of fog covering her as if she was a part of it. Looking emotionlessly down at him she raised her sword for the killing stroke. Yami rolled out of the way, numb fingers barely managing to grasp his own sword. The two continued to exchange blows for several minutes. And then Kaia couldn't block one. His sword drove into her throat, and she fell, dead before she hit the ground.

Yami dropped to his knees. "Kaia?" He slowly reached a hand out, and touched her already cold face gently. "Kaia!" he screamed to the frozen winter air, soul shattering into a thousand pieces. He'd killed her… he'd killed her…

Yami woke screaming. Pain seared through his torso like fire, blood falling into the frigid water. He shakily stood. Kaia stood in front of him again. His eyes widened, then his brow furrowed. What was going on? He glanced around, and spotted Suichi hidden in the shadows of a tree, making a symbol with his hands and chanting rapidly. Yami's eyes narrowed. Suichi was forcing him through the only outcomes to the battle, each more horrible than the last.

Keeping a wary eye on Kaia, Yami moved slowly towards Suichi. The priest, noticing what Yami was doing, ran behind Kaia.

"Coward!" the pharaoh screamed. "Hiding behind your own daughter!"

"Kill him Kaia! Kill the pharaoh!"

"Kaia!" Yami cried. She whirled around, and slashed the heavy sword through her father's throat. His body and head fell to the ground separately. His head rolled away, face still frozen in an expression of sick glee. Yami felt the invisible bonds of magic break free from his body. He hadn't noticed them before.

"Kaia, please, stop. You don't want to do this." The two were circling each other, katana's back in their hands. "Kaia, please, don't. I love you. Please. Please." Kaia stopped suddenly. She looked at him, and then smiled. Yami's breath froze in his lungs. It was the sad smile. The bittersweet smile. The pained smiled. The smile that conveyed so much pain and heartache, and sheer, empty loneliness. It was the smile that she smiled when she was in so much pain, she couldn't even cry. It was the smile the just begged for somebody, anybody, to help her. And it was the smile she smiled whenever she was about to sacrifice herself for the ones she loved.

She raised the katana, and plunged it into her stomach. She fell to the ground as if in slow motion. She was dead. Nothing could save her now.

Yami dropped to his knees, heedless of the water that chilled him to the bone. She smiled at him.

"Ya… mi…" she said hoarsely, as if from far away, touching his cheek gently. As if she were remembering him. Her eyes closed, and her hand dropped. And Yami knew she was dead.

In Kabuki, _michiyuki_ is when two forbidden lovers are walking side by side to commit suicide together. Yami knew that was what would happen. This would be their _michiyuki_. He could not live without her.

They were forbidden by everything. She was a priestess, forbidden marriage. He was from a different time. And yet, they had continued loving each other. And that had led to the horrific conclusion.

"Yami!" He didn't even glance up at Bakura as he came running up. He just stared at her peaceful face. A small smile was curled on her lips. She was happy to have given her life to him. And he hated himself for it.

"Oh Ra…" Bakura breathed. He threw his head back and screamed up into the sky, a thief of Egypt grieving for a lost friend. Yami could barely breathe. The only sound in his ears was the steady drip of water, and the wind through the bare branches, carrying her soul farther and farther away from him.

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"These deaths are a horrible tragedy. I'm sure they're happy that all of you turned out for their funeral." Yami wasn't even listening to the priest conducting the funeral rites. Kaia and Suzumi lay side by side in two different coffins. They'd been cleaned up, and were both clothed in plain black kimonos. All of their friends and remaining family had turned out, except for Kaia's mother. Suichi had killed her. As soon as the priest was done, Yami left. He couldn't stand to see the casket closed, and his beloved lowered into the ground.

He wandered around the grounds. The funeral was being held at Kaia's home. Yami was curiously detached. He hadn't felt anything since Kaia had breathed her last. He thought about his life as if it were someone else's. He'd never done anything worthwhile. Kaia was the only person who'd needed him. Why was he still there? He should be with Kaia. He needed to be with Kaia.

Paying attention to his surroundings again, he found himself in the room with the katana's. The candle was out, but someone had cleaned the swords and put them back on their stands. Yami knelt in front of them. He didn't have a white kimono, or a second, but he could still kill himself just as honorably as any samurai. After all, what was more honorable than love?

"Seppuku?" The quite voice came from the doorway. Yami glanced up sharply to find Bakura leaning against the wall. He nodded slowly. "Need some help?" Yami hesitated for a second before nodding.

"Would you be my second?" The thief nodded, and took the long katana. He unsheathed it in on fluid motion, holding it to the side of Yami's neck. The pharaoh took a deep breath and unsheathed the sword.

"Before you start, I'd just like to say that suicide is the weak way out." Yami nodded, exhaling.

"I know. I'm weak. I've always been weak. I've always been a coward and a fool. Now I'm taking both of their ways out." The sharp tip of the sword entered his stomach. He inhaled sharply. Cutting his stomach hurt a lot more than cutting his arms. His torso let out a painful twinge from the wound Kaia had made in it only the day before.

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"La, la, la, la, la." Kaia sighed. She was bored. So far all she'd done was sit on this bench, surrounded by pure white mist. "Hmm, what to do, what to do."

"Kaia." She looked up to find her grandmother walking towards her. The old woman sat next to her.

"Hi grandma."

"Where do you want to go, dear?" Kaia raised an eyebrow.

"Go?"

"Do you want to go to heaven?"

"Well, I certainly don't want to go to hell." Suzumi laughed.

"You always were blunt. What I meant was, do you want to go back, or do you want to go to heaven?"

"Back? As in, live again?" Suzumi nodded. "I totally want to do that! Are you coming too?" Suzumi shook her head sadly.

"This old soul couldn't take the trip back. I'll be rejuvenated once I go on."

"To heaven?" Her grandmother shrugged.

"I don't know where I'll go."

Kaia's eyes were stubborn. "You'll go to heaven. I know it. I'm sure of it." Suzumi smiled lovingly.

"Thank you my darling. You are so kind." She straightened up, and took Kaia's hand in her own. "Now, my dear, the only reason you can go back is because you are not actually dead. They think you're dead, and to all practical purposes you are. But the water cooled your body and brain down enough for you to die, but still be alive. But your soul left, and needs to go back within a few minutes, or else you'll be dead for good." Kaia hugged Suzumi tightly.

"I don't want to leave you Grandma!"

"You must, my dear. I won't be responsible for holding you from happiness." Kaia raised her tear stained face. Suzumi smiled gently, and wiped the tears away.

"Don't cry now. Kaia, my dear, if you go back there is a price. You will lose you priestess powers." Kaia gasped. She'd always had them. How would she live without them? "It will be alright. You will adjust. Now my darling Kaia, remember: I love you, your mother loves you, and your father loves you even though he went insane. Alright? And I will always be with you. Goodbye Kaia. Live a long life. I love you."

"I love you too Grandma!" Kaia cried as her grandmother was engulfed in white fog and disappeared, leaving only the faint feel of her fingers on Kaia's cheek behind. Kaia cried silently as she was engulfed in the fog as well.

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"Ya… mi…"

Yami's head whirled. Kaia was standing there, pale and dressed in black, looking like the ghost Yami knew she was. He wrenched the sword out of his stomach, and curled into a small ball on the floor.

"No! You're not there! You're not real! I've been seeing you since yesterday! Just leave! Leave me alone! I'm coming to join you soon, so just go away!"

"Yami… she's not a ghost," Bakura breathed. "I see her too." Yami raised his tear-stained face, and looked at her. She was breathing. She was… alive.

"Kaia…?"

She smiled and nodded, and then she collapsed. Yami jumped up and went to her.

"But… how? You were dead!" Kaia smiled, held in his arms, and looking up at hi familiar face.

"Another time. I love you Yami."

"I love you too. But… what about Suzumi?" A single tear ran down Kaia's cheek.

"She… she couldn't make it back." She began to cry, and Yami hugged her to his chest. "But she's always with me. I can feel her."

"Never leave me Kaia."

"I won't." Smiling, Bakura left the two, and headed back to the funeral, now just a funeral for one. He whistled a tune, cheerful and sad at the same time.

Neither Yami nor Kaia were people who ever followed rules, whether they be rules of time or rules of death. So why should they follow rules for _michiyuk_i? They had their own version of _michiyuki_, a happier one. One in which everything turned out alright.

This was their michiyuki.

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**Michiyuki is a scene in Kabuki when two forbidden lovers are on their way to suicide. I learned this from Backstage Prince.**

**Heh, I'm done, and extremely please with myself! Please leave a review and tell me what you thought! Thank you!**

**-hanyou-samurai **


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